Coronary Atherosclerotic Vulnerable Plaque: Current Perspectives

Coronary Atherosclerotic Vulnerable Plaque: Current Perspectives

A therosclerosis is the most common form of vascular disease and constitutes the major cause of death, with 17.5 million related deaths annually (31% of global mortality). Atherosclerotic plaque represents the hallmark lesion of atherosclerosis. Most, but not all, acute cardiac events occur in the context of plaque-related thrombus formation, with the remainder associated with primary cardiomyo...

Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque

Plaque Progression: Often Abrupt, Rarely Predictable Some facts are now certain. First, plaque progression and clinical outcome are not always closely related, and each is poorly predicted by clinical and angiographic variables.1–4 Second, many plaques progress episodically because of episodes of thrombosis triggered by rupture, erosion (denudation), or occasionally endothelial activation or in...

The vulnerable plaque: current concepts and future perspectives on coronary morphology, composition and wall stress imaging.

Cardiovascular imaging plays an important role in the identification and characterization of the vulnerable plaque. A major goal is the ability to identify individuals at risk of plaque rupture and developing an acute coronary syndrome. Early recognition of rupture-prone atherosclerotic plaques may lead to the development of pharmacologic and interventional strategies to reduce acute coronary e...

Vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque: a multifocal disease.

Plaque Progression: Often Abrupt, Rarely Predictable Some facts are now certain. First, plaque progression and clinical outcome are not always closely related, and each is poorly predicted by clinical and angiographic variables.1–4 Second, many plaques progress episodically because of episodes of thrombosis triggered by rupture, erosion (denudation), or occasionally endothelial activation or in...

Imaging of the Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque